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APRN News – Alaska Politics

The deadline for renewing the nation’s highway programs is nine days away. Leaders in the Senate this week negotiated a bill that would fund highways for the next six years. But it would require selling off $9 billion of crude oil that’s stashed in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

The state’s Legislative Budget and Audit Committee is examining how education funding is distributed. A new study doesn’t look at how much money districts should get. Instead, it asks if all the districts are being treated fairly.

The state health department has hired a consultant to help recommend next steps as the administration plans to implement Medicaid expansion and looks to make further changes to the existing Medicaid program.

An open house held by the Anchorage Metropolitan Area Transportation Solutions, or AMATS, turned out public testimony that was almost unanimously against several large capital projects in the Municipality.

The general nominated to be the Army’s Chief of Staff suggested this morning that the plan to cut 2,600 Alaska soldiers isn’t final yet. But it’s hard to say whether the Army really plans to reconsider, or whether the general merely agreed to follow a procedure to ultimately reach a pre-determined end.

The U.S. attorney’s office is seeking dismissal of a lawsuit by four National Guard members alleging that investigative and other records pertaining to them were improperly leaked to reporters and state officials.

Shell is still moving its drill rigs into the Arctic, even as one of its icebreakers prepares to head back south for repairs. The unexpected crack in the hull of the Fennica has added uncertainty to the start of the short Arctic drilling season.

Nearly 200 people have signed a letter asking for the removal of the Mississippi flag downtown because it features an image of the Confederate flag. After dust settles from the controversy, the people spearheading the removal of the flag are unsure what’s next in combating racism in the state’s capital.

The White House announced today that President Obama will visit Alaska at the end of next month. On Aug. 31 Obama will visit Anchorage to address a State Department conference focused on climate change that is expected to draw foreign ministers from Arctic and non-Arctic countries.